The Byobu session manager extends the shell, adding a range of useful functions, such as splitting the screen, running programs in the background, or organizing programs in tabs. In particular, administrators who rely on SSH will appreciate Byobu.

Bash offers any number of simplifications, especially when it comes to pesky individual steps in installation routines for larger software packages. Some caution is advisable, though, if you need to handle database and application passwords, which can easily be compromised.

In the beginning was the double pound sign and the exclamation mark – or at least shell scripts always start this way. The inventor, Dennis Ritchie, really didn’t know how much pain this was going to cause users.